


Sleepless Nights

by madamecrimson



Category: Buzzfeed The Try Guys (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Other, The Try Guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-01 04:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21378718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamecrimson/pseuds/madamecrimson
Summary: When Zach keeps falling asleep at work, Eugene is determined to figure out the reason why.
Relationships: Zach Kornfeld/Eugene Lee Yang
Comments: 2
Kudos: 197





	1. Falling Asleep

"Zach?" Keith said quietly, gently shaking the shoulder of his best friend. 

Zach's arms were folded and laying on the table, his head on top, fast asleep. 

"Zach," Keith tried again, a little louder this time. 

"Hm?" Zach mumbled, lifting his head and adjusting his glasses which had become crooked. 

"This is the third time this week you've fallen asleep at work," Eugene said behind him. 

"Sorry, my AS has been keeping me up," Zach replied, removing his glasses to rub sleepily at his eyes. 

"Have you been taking your meds? Keeping up with your diet and exercise routine?" Eugene asked, folding his arms. 

"Yeah," Zach muttered, his shoulders slouched as he fiddled with a thread on his shirt sleeve. 

Eugene frowned, gazing down quizically at his best friend. 

Keith looked down at his phone. "We've got a meeting about Squad Wars in 10 minutes," he said, glancing worriedly at Zach. 

"You two go ahead," Eugene said to Keith and Ned. "I'm taking you home," he said to Zach seriously, though his tone wasn't harsh. 

"Thanks man," Ned said, heading out the door with Keith. 

While Eugene was uncomfortable expressing his emotions and often appeared aloof, he had a deep level of care for those close to him and he was loyal to a fault. 

Zach waved him off. "It's fine. Just needed a little cat nap." He stood up to follow Keith and Ned, but Eugene stepped in front of him, blocking the doorway. 

"I need to get by," Zach said, attempting to step around Eugene who merely blocked him again. 

"No, you're going home. And when we get there you're going to tell me the truth about what's really going on," Eugene said firmly. 

"What are you talking about?" Zach inquired, his speech punctuated by a yawn. 

"You always pick at your clothes when you're lying" Eugene returned. 

Zach blushed. "Do not," he defended. 

Eugene sighed, placing a hand on Zach's shoulder. "Come on," he said, pushing him lightly out of the room and towards where he had parked. 

Defeated and utterly exhausted, Zach relented and followed Eugene out to his car. They both got in and Eugene began driving towards Zach's apartment. Zach's eyelids slowly began to grow heavy, his head dropping towards his chest as he started to nod off. Eugene glanced at him at a red light, feeling worried. When they arrived, Eugene gently jostled Zach's shoulder. Zach blinked his eyes wide, looking over at Eugene. 

"Ready to tell me what's really going on?" Eugene asked.


	2. Scared Sleepless

Zach sighed heavily, squirming in his seat. Eugene could be incredibly stubborn and Zach knew he wasn't going to get out of telling him. 

"I've been having...nightmares," Zach said with a shrug, staring down at his shoes. 

"Nightmares?" Eugene repeated. "What kind of nightmares?" 

Zach took off his glasses, pressing his hands to his eyes. "I-I don't know, after I wake up I can't seem to remember them." 

"And you're afraid to sleep?" Eugene inquired. 

Zach nodded, looking up at Eugene with slightly red-rimmed and damp eyes. It tore at Eugene's heart but he pushed aside his emotions of tenderness, not wanting to deal with them. 

"Come on," Eugene said, stepping out of the car. Zach slid his glasses back on and got out of the car as well. They approached Zach's door and Zach let both of them in. 

"We're going to stay up until 8 PM. Then you're going to go to bed," Eugene told him before clearing his throat. "And I'm going to stay here to monitor you." 

Zach shook his head. "You don't have to do that," he told him. 

Eugene stepped close to Zach which forced the shorter man to look up at him directly. "And you don't always take the best care of yourself," Eugene replied. 

Zach swallowed thickly. He wasn't used to having Eugene stand this close to him. It made him feel...something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Also, he knew that Eugene was right. Zach nodded in defeat, dragging himself over to the couch. Eugene sat down beside him. 

They decided to binge-watch some Netflix while they waited for 8 PM to roll around. Every time Zach would start to fall asleep, Eugene would poke him in the side. Zach would grumble something to himself or make a slight noise but he wasn't upset over what Eugene was doing, just desperately tired. 

"How much longer?" Zach whined at one point. 

Eugene narrowed his eyes. Zach really did turn into a baby when he was sleepy. 

"2 more hours," Eugene replied. 

"Seriously?" Zach asked, placing his head in his hands. 

Eugene reached an arm out toward Zach, hesitating before lightly rubbing soothing circles over his back. 

"It's 4 more episodes. You can make it," Eugene assured him. 

Zach relaxed under Eugene's hand, still drowsy, and still having to be awoken by Eugene. 

Finally, 8 PM hit. 

"Alright, bed time," Eugene told him. 

Zach frowned. He was practically pouting. Eugene tried not to laugh. 

"You've been wanting to sleep all day," Eugene reminded him. 

Zach sighed and nodded, looking toward his bedroom uneasily. 

"I'll make sure you're safe," Eugene said. 

Zach's eyes met Eugene's. Zach was a consistently anxious person, always afraid of the worst happening. But around Eugene, he truly did feel safe. An unfamiliar warmth moved through him and his cheeks turned red. Eugene felt his heart begin to race at the way Zach was looking at him. He stood up quickly and brushed it off. 

"Come on," Eugene said, heading into Zach's bedroom, and Zach followed.


	3. Haunted Nightmares

Zach changed into pajamas, and Eugene stripped down to just the shirt he was wearing and boxer shorts. 

"You can borrow some of my pajamas if you want," Zach offered. 

"Yeah, don't think I can fit into hobbit clothing," Eugene replied. 

"Hey, we hobbits are a proud people!" Zach exclaimed. 

They smiled at one another and both burst out laughing. 

"Alright, come on Kornfeld," Eugene said gesturing toward the bed with a nod of his head. 

Zach slid into bed and Eugene sat on the bed beside him. 

"You can lie down you know," Zach told him. 

Eugene frowned, folding his arms and laying down. 

"And get under the covers," Zach replied with a yawn. "It's not like this is the first time we've slept together." 

Eugene remained stubborn for a moment before slipping under the covers and facing away from Zach. Zach was glad for Eugene's presence, but it always stung a little when he felt shut out by him. 

"Night Eugene," Zach said quietly. 

"Night Zach," Eugene mumbled. 

Zach fell asleep within seconds; Eugene could tell by the changes in his breathing. Even though he had moved as far away as he could from Zach, nearly on the edge of the bed, he could still feel the warmth radiating from Zach's back. It was obnoxiously comforting. Eugene soon felt himself begin to relax, his eyelids starting to droop. He heard a soft whimper beside him and turned over to check on Zach. The smaller man was trembling, whining incoherently. He began to move around a little, as if trying to combat some unseen force. 

"Zach," Eugene whispered his normal attitude replaced with worry. He placed a hand on Zach's shoulder, gently trying to wake him. 

Zach awoke with a shout, breathing heavily, his t-shirt drenched in sweat. "What did you dream about?" Eugene asked, hoping that the recency of him asking might give him a clue as to what was bothering his friend. 

"Laughing, darkness...and--and," Zach had begun hyperventilating. 

Eugene wrapped his arms around Zach protectively, slowly rocking him back and forth. "It's okay," he whispered, holding Zach close. "You're safe." 

Zach broke down into sobs, his fingers grasping tightly at Eugene's shirt. "It was just a nightmare. Relax," Eugene told him. 

Slowly, Zach began to calm down. Once Zach seemed to be alright, Eugene could feel the discomfort of closeness creep back into him. Everything in his being wanted to pull away, but the way Zach was still clutching at him held Eugene captive, in more ways than one. Eugene awkwardly cleared his throat. 

"Think you can try to sleep again?" he asked Zach. 

Zach nodded wordlessly. "Okay, lie down," Eugene said, letting go of Zach. He felt his breath catch as he noticed that although he was lying down, Zach was still holding onto his shirt. He had never seen Zach this scared and he was overcome with an urge to keep Zach close to him. Eugene stiffened, sliding back under the covers. 

"Alright, try to go back to sleep," Eugene told him. Zach's grip tightened on Eugene's shirt and Eugene refused to acknowledge how it made him feel. 

"You're not going to be able to fall asleep if you keep doing that," Eugene said, rolling his eyes as he pulled Zach's hand away and drew the younger man into his arms. 

Zach noticeably relaxed, resting his head against Eugene's chest, wrapping his arms around him, and snuggling close. Eugene could feel his heart race, and he hoped that Zach was distracted enough not to notice. 

"Right, now go to--" Eugene cut himself off, realizing that Zach had already fallen asleep. 

A small smile crossed Eugene's face, against his will, as he soon began to relax as well.


	4. Whispered Clues

Thankfully, Zach had managed to sleep for a few hours. Eugene had dozed off during that time as well. 

But as the night wore on, Zach's breathing began to quicken. He began making soft sounds of discomfort, and wriggled around. Eugene blinked his eyes open sleepily. This time, he was able to make out a few words. 

"Gene...guys...stop it!" The next few words were mumbled. "Don't...come back!" 

Zach's breaths turned into hyperventilation. Eugene hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to frighten Zach by shaking him too roughly. Instead, he sat up a little, cradling Zach against him. He rubbed over his back. 

"It's okay Zach," Eugene whispered, hoping his words might get through some how. 

"B-bleeding...gg-stop!" Zach cried out. 

"Zach!" Eugene exclaimed, a bit louder than he meant to. 

Zach's eyes shot open. "What...where--I can't see!" he shouted. 

"Of course you can't, it's night now and the light's off," Eugene sighed, leaning over to turn on the lamp. 

When light finally filled the room, Eugene was surprised to see Zach's face was streaked with tears, his skin even paler than its normal complexion. And though he would never admit it, that expression of terror frightened Eugene. 

He brought a hand up to rest on Zach's cheek. "What did you see?" 

Zach swallowed thickly and shook his head. Eugene grasped Zach firmly by the shoulders, not in an act of frustration, but as a means of grounding him to his current surroundings. 

"Zach, listen to me. Can you tell me three things in his room you can see?" Eugene asked. 

"U-um," Zach stuttered. "Blue sheets, you black hair...m-my window sill." 

"Good," Eugene said gently, brushing his thumbs across Zach's collarbones in an attempt to calm him. 

"What do you hear?" Eugene inquired. 

"Your voice...wind outside," Zach replied, rubbing at his eyes. 

"And smell?" Eugene pressed lightly. 

Zach drew in a deep breath before actively sniffing around him. "Hmm, not much but--" He leaned in to smell Eugene's shirt and the shock of the sudden intrusion caused goosebumps to appear on Eugene's skin. 

"Clean dude smell...but like fancy clean dude smell," Zach said. 

Eugene chuckled shaking his head. "Well at least I know you're okay now." 

Zach nodded, dropping his gaze. 

"Do you remember anything?" Eugene asked, now that Zach was no longer freaking out. 

Zach appeared thoughtful for a moment. "You, Keith, and Ned were there...something with blood...someone--leaving?" He frowned. "Sorry, he mumbled. That's all I've got." 

Eugene sighed. "You don't have to be sorry for not remembering your own dreams." 

Zach shifted, appearing uneasy. 

"You didn't remember anything last time though. So, this is progress." Eugene smiled down at him. 

Zach looked up at Eugene and nodded, smiling a little as well. "What time is it?" he asked. 

Eugene looked over at the bedside clock. "2 AM," he said. "Think you'll be able to sleep again?" 

Zach shrugged. "Go take a hot shower, relax your muscles, then come back to bed," Eugene told him. 

"Okay" Zach mumbled, getting up to try to stretch. "Agh!" he grunted, curling up where he stood. 

Eugene was immediately on his feet. "What's wrong?" he asked. 

"Well you were right; I do need to relax my muscles," Zach winced. 

"Lay down," Eugene told him. 

"But I was going to take a shower," Zach reminded him. 

"If you don't get those knots loosened the hot water is not going to do anything," Eugene explained. 

Zach's shoulders slumped as he dragged himself onto the bed. 

"Usually people are more excited about my massages," Eugene teased. 

Zach whined against the pillow and Eugene leaned down to lightly caress his hair. 

"I'll let that slide this time but only because you suck at sleeping," Eugene told him.


	5. Unveiled Truths

Eugene stood over Zach. "You should probably take your shirt off," he said. "So that you can feel the full effect of the massage," he clarified quickly. 

Zach slipped off his shirt tiredly and laid his head back down. Eugene blushed. It wasn't as if he'd hadn't given a massage before, or even seen Zach shirtless for that matter. However, Eugene was seeing Zach at his most vulnerable, a side he normally tried to conceal. And given that Eugene normally shirked away from physical contact, he'd spent a lot of time that night touching Zach. 

Eugene shook his head to clear his thoughts, rubbing his hands together before he gently began rubbing over Zach's tense neck and shoulders. 

Zach let out a soft groan. "Ugh that feels so good. You're pretty decent at this," Zach told him. 

"Pretty decent? I'm the King!" Eugene returned, trying not to notice the way his stomach was flipping. 

Zach eased under Eugene's ministrations, and soon fell asleep again. Eugene chuckled softly, easing back into bed beside Zach. He drew the covers over them both, and lay down next to him, falling asleep. 

Eugene woke up several hours later, glad that it was least morning now. He sat up carefully and looked down to see Zach still asleep. However, while he hadn't had as extreme of a reaction during this particular bout of sleep, Eugene could hear him crying softly. He felt his chest ache as he gently woke Zach. 

"Zach?" he asked softly, gently shaking his shoulder. "Zach, wake up." 

Zach sniffled. "Sorry," he mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "I actually woke up about 10 minutes ago, but didn't want to bother you." 

Eugene rolled his eyes. "And what am I here for?" he said pointedly. 

Zach rubbed away more tears, taking in a deep breath. "I remember my nightmare," he said quietly. 

"Yeah?" Eugene replied. 

Zach stared at his lap, still sniffling. "We were walking home from the bar, all four of us," he began. 

Eugene listened intently, slipping an arm around Zach's shoulder as the smaller man let out a small sob. 

"Keith and Ned disappeared somewhere, maybe they were kidnapped, I don't know, and you..." Zach pressed his hands to his eyes, as if trying to block the image from his mind. 

"You got stabbed and a-and there was nothing I could do and then I--" Zach paused. "And then that was the end of the dream." 

He toyed with the hem of his shirt, gaze still fixed on his lap. He refused to look at Eugene. 

"You're lying again," Eugene accused. "What happened at the end of the dream?" 

"I-I told you," Zach replied. "You got stabbed." 

"There's more to it than that. We both know it," Eugene said, though his tone was gentle. 

Zach sighed. He was quiet for a moment. "Look, it doesn't make sense and I only took one psych class so I have no idea what it means and--" 

"Just tell me," Eugene interrupted, rubbing over Zach's back. He felt Zach tense under his touch, which surprised him. 

"I...kissed you," Zach mumbled. 

Eugene blinked at Zach, his mouth hanging slightly open. 

Zach cleared his throat. "Anyway uh...thanks for help. I should be able to sleep fine now," he said, moving to stand. Eugene held him in place. 

Zach shifted slightly, looking up at Eugene briefly before tearing his eyes away. Eugene could feel his heart race. He felt just as terrified of Zach, if not more. Still, he had to know the truth. 

"So it sounds like you're afraid of losing me," Eugene ventured. 

Zach nodded slowly. 

"Question is," Eugene went on, "do you want to kiss me?" 

Zach swallowed thickly, his heart beating so fast that he could feel it in his ears. 

"I'm not going to fuck up a friendship over some nightmare," Zach muttered. 

"How do you know you'd be fucking it up?" Eugene asked. Zach looked up at him, the deep blue of his eyes dancing in the light. 

Eugene felt his stomach lurch as he tried not to let his eyes fall to Zach's lips. 

Zach looked down again. "I don't know. That's the issue." 

Eugene was quiet, mulling over Zach's words. "I don't think one kiss is going to fuck up this many years of friendship," he said finally. 

"What if I want it to be more than once?" Zach asked. Eugene felt his heart rise into his throat. He slipped a finger under Zach's chin, forcing the smaller man to look up at him. 

"Do you?" Eugene asked, forcing himself to keep his voice steady. 

Zach laughed nervously. "Well...maybe just to get dream Zach off my back." 

Eugene placed his hand on Zach's cheek. His heart hammered roughly in his chest. He slowly leaned forward, lightly pressing his lips to Zach's. He allowed them to linger for a few moments before pulling away slightly. 

"Well?" Eugene asked huskily. 

Zach blushed, able to feel the warmth of Eugene's breath on his skin. 

"Better try it again...just to make sure," Zach replied. 

Eugene chuckled, leaning in to kiss Zach once more.


End file.
